boggle
Americanverb (used with object)
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to overwhelm or bewilder, as with magnitude, complexity, or strangeness.
The speed of light boggles the mind.
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to bungle; botch.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an act of shying or taking alarm.
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a mess; a bungle or botch.
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Archaic. a scruple; demur; hesitation.
verb
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to be surprised, confused, or alarmed (esp in the phrase the mind boggles )
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to hesitate or be evasive when confronted with a problem
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(tr) to baffle; bewilder; puzzle
Other Word Forms
- bogglingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of boggle
First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps from bogle
Explanation
To boggle is to amaze, astonish, or overwhelm. Your mind might boggle at all the information your physics teacher writes on the board on the first day of class. You'll most likely find this verb in sentences like "My brain boggles at the outfit she decided to wear to the party," or "When you watch this movie, your mind will boggle at the special effects." Along with the even more common adjective mind-boggling, boggle comes from the Middle English bugge, or "specter." Boggle originally meant "spook," or "start with fright."
Vocabulary lists containing boggle
The BFG
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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Front Desk
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They often feature steam-bent wood that makes my mind boggle when I visit, with its twists and turns.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025
The scale of the solar system and our universe can boggle the mind, he added.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2024
But Santos’ wardrobe, and his ability to ape an archetype, is a testament to just how much appearance can boggle the mind.
From Slate • May 16, 2023
Still, it would boggle my mind if this enthralling masterpiece is overlooked when nominations are announced next month.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2022
This time the Senate did not boggle over the word "agreement."
From The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 30, 1952 by Corwin, Edward Samuel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
